The present invention relates to a cable brake for an elevator to halt a cable strand by applying a brake plate on the cable strand, and having a release trigger mechanism to introduce the brake action and apply the braking force of the brake plate, the brake plate being returnable to an initial position after the brake action by a return mechanism.
The patent document EP 0 651 724 B1 shows a cable brake wherein the elevator car supporting cables extend between two brake plates. The one brake plate is connected with the brake enclosure and the other brake plate is moveable. Each of a pair of links has one end pivotally connected with the other brake plate and an opposite end engaging a cam follower. The cam follower is released by an electromagnetic latch controlled by an overspeed governor and rides on a pair of cam surfaces under the force of a pair of springs to move the other brake plate toward the one brake plate to clamp the cables and stop movement of the elevator car. The initial compression of the springs is by a hydraulic cylinder.
A disadvantage of this equipment is that the cable brake is expensive. The trigger mechanism, the cam follower and cam surfaces, and the brake enclosure are costly to manufacture and time consuming to install.